Creating a Body of a Ballerina
There are really only two forces that can create a ballet body: God and ballet class. Or, to be more specific, 20 years of ballet classes taken daily at the very least. And even then, prayer is probably a good idea.
Still, regular-shaped people who have sedentary jobs—such as arts reporters—do what they can to attain that body shape. Actresses, too, occasionally try to turn their already tiny frames into long, lean figures.
And that’s where former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers comes in. Ms. Bowers is the person responsible for training Natalie Portman for “Black Swan.” At their max, the two were working out five hours a day, six days a week, in between Ms. Portman’s rehearsals and shooting, including on other films.
For the rest of us, Ms. Bowers has created Ballet Beautiful, a workout that can be taken privately in person or online through Skype. Classes run 30 or 60 minutes, individually or in a group with the others all logged in via Skype from their own locations.
I take classes at STEPS as I mentioned in my previous blog post. Unfortunately, my boobs were too big and I did not have a tiny enough waist to be a prima ballerina. They are quite fussy about that! If I could’ve changed that I would have. However, I still practice and do the best that I can with what I have.